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Annual Leave
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for each agency within his Department and the central transport group, broken down by grade and number, the (a) male staff and (b) female staff eligible for 30 days' annual leave. [38137]
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Mr. Bowis: I have placed a table containing the information requested in the Library of the House.
Staff Statistics
Ms Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff were employed by (a) the Vehicle Inspectorate and (b) the Transport Research Laboratory in each year between 1979 and 1996. [39284]
Mr. Bowis: The average number of staff employed each year by the Vehicle Inspectorate in the period 1986-87 to 1995-96, and by the Transport Research Laboratory in the period 1992-93 to 1995-96, is as set out. Information on staff employed in prior years is not available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
| Vehicle Inspectorate | Transport Research Laboratory | |
|---|---|---|
| 1986-87 | 1,492 | -- |
| 1987-88 | 1,530 | -- |
| 1988-89 | 1,590 | -- |
| 1989-90 | 1,620 | -- |
| 1990-91 | 1,651 | -- |
| 1991-92 | 1,613 | -- |
| 1992-93(2) | 1,861 | 625 |
| 1993-94 | 1,768 | 600 |
| 1994-95 | 1,649 | 487 |
| 1995-96 | 1,559 | 432 |
(2) Responsibility for traffic examiners and some support staff transferred from the central Department to the Vehicle Inspectorate on 1 April 1992.
Bridges
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many bridges are awaiting strengthening work to comply with the EU plan to permit 40 tonne trucks; [38152]
- (2) which bridges carrying motorways require strengthening work to comply with the EU plan to permit 40 tonne trucks; and in each case what is the target date for the work to be undertaken. [38153]
Mr. Watts: I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody, dated 24 July 1996:
24 Jul 1996 : Column: 360
(3) These structures are included because they are on the line of M25.
The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent questions asking how many bridges are awaiting strengthening work to comply with the EU plan to permit 40 tonne trucks; which bridges carrying motorways require strengthening work; and what is the target date for the work to be undertaken. This response relates only to the trunk road network; non-trunk roads are the responsibility of local highway authorities.
Trunk road bridges are being assessed to ensure not only that they can carry heavier 40 tonne lorries from 1999 but also that they can continue to carry safely existing 38 tonne lorries. The Highways Agency's aim is to minimise the number of bridges requiring strengthening by putting maximum effort into the assessment process. If a bridge fails an initial assessment, using simple techniques, then an increasingly more sophisticated analysis will be undertaken to ensure that we do not strengthen any bridge unnecessarily. 1,756 trunk road bridges have not yet passed their assessment, but it is expected that only a proportion of these will ultimately require strengthening.
Where there is concern that a bridge may not have sufficient load-carrying capacity, temporary measures are put in place to ensure the safety of road users. The Agency's objective is to make certain that, from 1 January 1999, all vehicles up to and including the new 40 tonne maximum gross vehicle weight standard will be able to use all structures carrying trunk roads and other important routes over trunk roads. The attached list gives details of bridges carrying motorways which we are currently planning to strengthen. In other cases, temporary measures, such as propping, will remain in place until full strengthening can be undertaken.
Road Bridge name Target completion
A282(3) Dartford Tunnel East, Kent September 1998
A282(3) Essex Viaduct, Essex September 1998
A1(M) Otterspool, Hertfordshire February 1998
A1(M) Reservoir Railway, South Yorkshire Not decided
M1 Five Way Flyover North bound, Barnet June 1997
M1 Five Way Flyover South bound, Barnet June 1997
M1 Transport Farm Subway, Barnet 1998-99
M1 Berrygrove interchange North Hertfordshire February 1998
M1 Berrygrove interchange South Hertfordshire February 1998
M1 Berrygrove interchange North A41, Hertfordshire February 1998
M1 Berrygrove Service Road South Herfordshire November 1998
M1 Berrygrove Service Road North Hertfordshire November 1998
M1 Berrygrove South A41, Hertfordshire November 1998
M1 Old Paul, South Yorkshire April 1998
M2 Medway Viaduct East, Kent March 1998
M2 Medway Viaduct West, Kent March 1998
M2 Medway River, Kent March 1998
M4 Grand Union Canal, Hounslow September 1996
M4 Thames Bray, Berkshire February 1997
M5 Huntspill River, Somerset February 1998
M5 River Brue, Somerset February 1998
M5 Huntworth Viaduct, Somerset February 1997
M5 River Tone, Somerset November 1998
M6 Ray Hall Viaduct Bents 12/0-13/10, West Midlands December 1997
M6 Ray Hall Viaduct Bents 11/0- 12/10, West Midlands June 1998
M11 Woodford West Viaduct, Hertfordshire November 1998
M40 Tetsworth Pedestrian Underpass, Oxfordshire Not decided
M40 Stoke Talmage, Oxfordshire Not decided
M40 Nethercote Lane, Oxfordshire Not decided
M62 Gelderd Road, West Yorkshire Not decided
M62 Narrowbeck Railway, West Yorkshire Not decided
M621 South Leeds interchange 13 Railway Not decided
M621 Beeston interchange South, West Yorkshire Not decided
M621 Beeston Interchange North, West Yorkshire Not decided
Driver Offences
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there were for mechanical offences and for drivers' hours and tachograph offences in magistrates and sheriff courts for each of the last five years. [38205]
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Mr. Bowis: Information relating to numbers of prosecutions and convictions is contained in Home Office and Scottish Office statistics.
The relevant figures are shown in the tables.
| England and Wales(4) | Scotland (5) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Prosecutions in magistrates' courts | Convictions | Offences prosecuted in sheriffs' courts | Offences proven |
| 1990 | 89,419 | 70,838 | 5,629 | 4,818 |
| 1991 | 91,809 | 69,650 | 5,119 | 4,284 |
| 1992 | 93,504 | 67,793 | 4,772 | 3,921 |
| 1993 | 87,354 | 62,336 | 3,844 | 3,068 |
| 1994 | 89,643 | 65,437 | 3,688 | 2,915 |
(4) These figures relate to prosecutions and convictions for offences where a vehicle or vehicle part has been found to be in a dangerous or defective condition including brakes, steering gear, tyres.
(5) These figures are the number of offences under the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 and the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 prosecuted and proven. In addition, a significant number of offences are handled annually at Scottish District and Stipendiary Magistrates Courts.
| England and Wales (6) | Scotland (7) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Prosecutions in Magistrates' Courts | Convictions | Offences prosecuted in Sheriffs' Courts | Offences proven |
| 1990 | 11,557 | 9,010 | 1,971 | 1,649 |
| 1991 | 12,283 | 9,504 | 2,115 | 1,774 |
| 1992 | 12,282 | 8,943 | 2,519 | 2,070 |
| 1993 | 9,817 | 6,965 | 1,866 | 1,534 |
| 1994 | 9,506 | 6,970 | 2,301 | 1,939 |
(6) These figures are for prosecutions and convictions relating to offences of failure to observe limits on hours of driving and duty or rest requirements.
(7) These figures are the number of offences relating to motor vehicle records of work including tachographs prosecuted and proven. In addition, a significant number of offences are handled annually at Scottish District and Stipendiary Magistrates Courts.
Operators' Licence Fees
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the income raised from the operators' licence fees for each of the last 10 years.[38141]
Mr. Bowis: Allowing for the attribution to the year in question of the five-yearly element of the licence fee, the income generated is as follows:
| Year | HGV operator licensing | PSV operator licensing | Bus registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-87 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 1987-88 | Not available | 3,364,042 | 582,887 |
| 1988-89 | 12,141,076 | 4,460,042 | 609,441 |
| 1989-90 | 14,585,408 | 2,885,750 | 715,585 |
| 1990-91 | 13,928,538 | 3,901,241 | 691,427 |
| 1991-92 | 14,588,537 | 3,847,562 | 673,826 |
| 1992-93 | 15,424,930 | 3,758,355 | 633,550 |
| 1993-94 | 19,093,817 | 3,959,235 | 668,594 |
| 1994-95 | 21,442,222 | 4,289,297 | 779,667 |
| 1995-96 | 22,108,672 | 4,796,730 | 720,712 |
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Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the annual operator licensing fees for heavy goods vehicles and public service vehicles in each of the last 10 years. [38140]
Mr. Bowis: Fees for operator licensing of heavy goods vehicles and public service vehicles are as listed.
| Date | Grant fee (£) | Vehicle fee (£) |
|---|---|---|
| From | ||
| 1 May 1986 | 20 (grant of licence) 15 (grant of major variation) | 100 |
| 3 January 1989 | 60 grant of licence or major variation | 100 |
| 1 October 1991 | 70 grant of licence or major variation | 140 |
| 1 April 1993 | 170 grant of licence or major variation | 140 |
| 1 June 1994 | 185 grant of licence or major variation | 160 |
| 1 July 1995 | 185 grant of licence or major variation | 170 |
| New Fee structure from 1 January 1996 | ||
| Application for a licence or major variation | 160 (one-off) | |
| Issue of licence | 250 | |
| Continuation of licence | 250 | |
| Vehicle fee (£34 per annum if paid annually) | 140 |
| Effective date | Fee type | Fee | Period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 October 1986 | Licence Grant | £3.50 per month | For validity of licence (normally 5 years) | |
| Vehicle discs | £3.50 each | For validity of licence per month (normally 5 years) | ||
| Special licence (for holders of taxi licences) | £40 | 5 years | ||
| Note: Fees to be paid five years in advance to cover period of validity of licence. 1 December 1993 Fees raised, but structure and payment system remained the same: | ||||
| 1 December 1993 | Licence grant | £4.50 | ||
| Vehicle discs | £4.50 | |||
| 1 January 1996 Fees structure changed with introduction of continuous licensing--some new fees introduced but vehicle disc fees unchanged for operators who elect to pay 5 years fees in advance. Operators paying disc fees on annual basis, pay an increased fee; | ||||
| 1 January 1996 | Application for standard licence | £150 one--off fee | ||
| Application for restricted licence | £100 one--off fee | |||
| Grant charge | £100 First 5 years of licence | |||
| Continuation in force of licence | £100 subsequent 5 years | |||
| Application to vary a licence | £75 one--off fee | |||
| Vehicle discs | £4.50 each per month | If paid 5 years in advance; or | ||
| £5.25 each per month | If paid one year in advance | |||
| Special licence | £40 | 5 years | ||
24 Jul 1996 : Column: 363
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